NeatStep blogshttp://www.neatstep.com/blog
NEWS TICKER: ComicCon is coming to Victoria on March 16-18, 2018.
*** NEATSTEP IS CELEBRATING ITS 11TH YEAR. (c) 2007-2018 ***
enA Cruise Guide for Beginnershttp://www.neatstep.com/blog/a-cruise-guide-for-beginners
<p>I wouldn't claim to be the most experienced cruiser but I have sailed with many of the popular cruise lines. People often ask me which one I liked best. My answer is that they are all different and I generally select the cruise according to its itinerary and the likelihood that we will survive it!.....</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/blog/a-cruise-guide-for-beginners" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Fri, 24 Mar 2017 23:41:02 +0000Paul Francis159 at http://www.neatstep.comParadise Found at Half Moon Cayhttp://www.neatstep.com/blog/paradise-found-at-half-moon-cay
<p>We just returned after a pleasant cruise from Florida to Panama and back, marvelling at the new canal and visiting some Caribbean islands en route. Having never experienced a Caribbean island before, we were curious about what to expect. The first port of call would be a tiny island called Half Moon Cay, privately owned and only serviced by two particular cruise lines.</p>
<p>The usual travel reviews didn't sound overwhelming, but "seeing is believing" so when we arrived and tendered ashore it was quite a surprise. In the middle of a vast ocean was this beautiful little island, bathed in sunshine, clear blue water, long crescent-shaped white sandy beach, lush vegetation and palm trees swaying in the breeze. It was paradise found!.....</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/blog/paradise-found-at-half-moon-cay" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 23:35:26 +0000Paul Francis158 at http://www.neatstep.comOther People Like You!http://www.neatstep.com/blog/other-people-like-you
<p>To start off the New Year, I've written a motivational poem (of sorts).<br />
It's for all those who think they need to be like someone else. You don't!<br />
Just read the poem - right to the very end - and you'll see what I mean.<br />
You can interpret the double-meaning title whichever way YOU LIKE!.....</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/blog/other-people-like-you" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Mon, 02 Jan 2017 01:30:01 +0000Paul Francis157 at http://www.neatstep.comDon't mention the BREXIT!http://www.neatstep.com/blog/dont-mention-the-brexit
<p>No subject has caused more excitement recently than the so-called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brexit">"Brexit"</a> - the proposed exit of Britain from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union">European Union</a>. With apologies to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cleese">John Cleese</a> for the title of this essay, I will attempt to provide a quick explanation of the underlying issues behind this occurrence which I believe to be really very simple.....</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/blog/dont-mention-the-brexit" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Fri, 21 Oct 2016 19:17:37 +0000Paul Francis156 at http://www.neatstep.comHow To Use Zinepalhttp://www.neatstep.com/blog/how-to-use-zinepal
<p>This is a diversion from my usual blog postings but something which I decided would be very useful.</p>
<p>I have compiled an introductory guide to using <a href="http://www.zinepal.com">Zinepal</a> and it is available online in 4 parts:</p>
<p><strong>HOW TO USE ZINEPAL</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.neatstep.com/zinepal/1">PART 1 - Quick Start Guide</a><br />
<a href="http://www.neatstep.com/zinepal/2">PART 2 - Exploring Options</a><br />
<a href="http://www.neatstep.com/zinepal/3">PART 3 - Additional Features</a><br />
<a href="http://www.neatstep.com/zinepal/4">PART 4 - Tips, Tricks &amp; Troubleshooting</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/blog/how-to-use-zinepal" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:55:45 +0000Paul Francis154 at http://www.neatstep.comKeep Calm and Carry-On – if you can!http://www.neatstep.com/blog/keep-calm-and-carry-on%E2%80%93if-you-can
<p>Every time we depart from our local airport it’s a fiasco going through security with our carry-on baggage. I thought I would be able to stop writing about this long ago, but the saga just continues with every trip. The question is, “how can you keep calm if you have carry-on?”</p>
<p>We knew already, before we entered security, there would be problems and sure enough, we weren’t disappointed. I dumped everything possible in the little tray but the detector still beeped persistently. Then came the good news. “You’ve been randomly selected for an additional security check.” “Oh, no! Not me!” “Would you like the full body scan or the pat-down?” “I have no idea. What works best?” “We’ll do a pat-down. Just strip in front of all these people and leave it to me!”.....</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/blog/keep-calm-and-carry-on%E2%80%93if-you-can" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Thu, 19 Dec 2013 01:29:29 +0000Paul Francis46 at http://www.neatstep.comEurope: Going… Going… Gone?http://www.neatstep.com/blog/europe-going-going-gone
<p>We recently decided on a last-minute trip to Europe. There was a pretty good flight deal which made the decision easy. On departure, all was well until take-off. The engines were fired-up, the plane lurched forward for a while and then we suddenly slowed down and taxied comfortably back towards the terminal building. Then the pilot announced, “Sorry about that. We had a minor technical issue, but we've fixed it now, so we’re going around to have another try!” I was curious. What kind of technical issue can be fixed while you’re coasting along and anyhow, what does he mean by, “have another try?”…..</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/blog/europe-going-going-gone" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Thu, 25 Jul 2013 00:45:26 +0000Paul Francis45 at http://www.neatstep.comI left my shirt in San Franciscohttp://www.neatstep.com/node/44
<p>It’s always fun to visit San Francisco – assuming, of course, you can afford it! The fascinating thing about being a tourist is that you are immediately recognizable as such. So you get to speak to all kinds of interesting people and also, some rather interesting people get to talk to you! But you know there’s a problem when the street guy complains that living here is not so affordable anymore and the next one tells you the tax break doesn’t help because he doesn’t pay any tax.....</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/node/44" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Thu, 02 May 2013 05:12:41 +0000Paul Francis44 at http://www.neatstep.comCarrying On - At The Airporthttp://www.neatstep.com/node/43
<p>They say, lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place, but whoever said that, obviously hadn't been through security at our local airport. The last time I tried, my almost empty tube of toothpaste was confiscated. This time, they focused on my travel sets, including a nail-file and a mini-knife, so small, that I couldn't even use it to attack a politically correct dwarf – that’s one of those guys with the pointed hats that Snow White used to hangout with, before they were confiscated (the hats, not the dwarfs – well maybe the dwarfs too, because I haven’t seen them around lately)!.....</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/node/43" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Mon, 17 Dec 2012 01:41:10 +0000Paul Francis43 at http://www.neatstep.comAchtung – Everything is Kaputt!http://www.neatstep.com/blog/achtung%E2%80%93everything-is-kaputt
<p>It’s been a long time since we last visited Germany so it was no surprise to find that, in the meantime, a lot had changed – some things for the better and some things, well… not for the better! The most obvious change was the extent to which automation has crept into every aspect of modern day life. Everything which could possibly be automated, has been automated, together with every other thing which should definitely not have been automated, but has been anyway. The results of this are exactly as could be expected…..</p>
<p><a href="http://www.neatstep.com/blog/achtung%E2%80%93everything-is-kaputt" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Mon, 02 Jul 2012 01:19:49 +0000Paul Francis42 at http://www.neatstep.com